Türkiye Soyadları A sourced dictionary of Turkish surnames

SURNAMEEntry 417

Atalar

Atalar /ataˈɫaɾ/

“ancestors, forefathers”1

Letters / syllables
6 / 3
Formation
Suffixed
Vowel harmony
back
Initial
A
Contents§1–§9
  1. §1Pronunciation
  2. §2Meaning
  3. §3Root tree
  4. §4Formation & 1934
  5. §5Name family
  6. §6Notable people
  7. §7Sources
  8. §8Questions
  9. §9Related

How do you pronounce Atalar?

Atalar

IPA /ataˈɫaɾ/

The stress usually falls on syllable 3 (marked). In everyday Turkish, stress in surnames varies by speaker and region.

What does the surname Atalar mean?

Atalar is the plural of ata and means “forefathers, ancestors, past generations”. In Old Turkic ata meant “father”; today it is mostly used for “ancestor, elder of the line”, as in atalar sözü, “proverb, saying of the ancestors”. A township called Atalar also lies in the Tarsus district of Mersin.1

Grammar ata + plural -lar

Atalar is also an ordinary word in everyday Turkish.

What is Atalar made of?

Atalar breaks into 2 parts: ata (ancestor; forefather) + -lar (plural suffix).

Atalar + root ata ancestor; forefather TURKIC ata “father; grandfather;ancestor” suffix -lar plural suffix Atalar ata root ancestor; forefather ata TURKIC “father; grandfather; ancestor” -lar suffix plural suffix
Atalar: parts and root words
  • ata Turkic — father; grandfather; ancestor1

How was the name Atalar formed?

Atalar belongs to the “suffixed” class of surnames (ata + -lar).

Which surnames are related to Atalar?

Atalar Atalay Atay Ataman Atasoy Ataç Ata Atakan Atabek Ataoğlu Atacan Ataseven Ayata
Circle area shows the number of bearers; dashed circle: no national count published. Solid line: same root; dashed line: same affix.
#SurnameRelationRankPeople
01 Atalay same root – –
02 Atay same root – –
03 Ataman same root – –
04 Atasoy same root – –
05 Ataç same root – –
06 Ata same root – –
07 Atakan same root – –
08 Atabek same root – –
09 Ataoğlu same root – –
10 Atacan same root – –
11 Ataseven same root – –
12 Ayata same root – –

Who are some well-known people named Atalar?

  1. Abdullah Atalar researcher 1954–
  2. Fatma Atalar handball player 1988–
  3. Ekin Atalar screenwriter 1979–
  4. Gülşah Deniz Atalar statesperson 1982–
  5. Arife Çimen Atalar researcher
  6. Banu Atalar researcher
  7. Ergin Atalar researcher
  8. Mehmet Haydar Atalar researcher

People surnamed Atalar as recorded in Wikidata, ordered by the number of Wikipedia language editions.

Where do these facts come from?

  1. 1 Wikimedia Vikisözlük: ata accessed 8 November 2026
  2. 2 Wikimedia Foundation Wikidata: people with this family name accessed 8 November 2026
  3. 3 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Kanunu (Kanun No. 2525) accessed 8 November 2026
  4. 4 T.C. Resmî Gazete / Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (mevzuat.gov.tr) Soyadı Nizamnamesi (Bakanlar Kurulu Kararı 2/1759) accessed 8 November 2026

Common questions about Atalar

Q1

What does the surname Atalar mean?

Atalar is the plural of ata and means “forefathers, ancestors, past generations”. In Old Turkic ata meant “father”; today it is mostly used for “ancestor, elder of the line”, as in atalar sözü, “proverb, saying of the ancestors”. A township called Atalar also lies in the Tarsus district of Mersin.
Q2

What is the origin of the surname Atalar?

The root word of Atalar is ata (Turkic): “father; grandfather; ancestor”.
Q3

How do you pronounce Atalar?

A·ta·lar, 3 syllables; IPA: /ataˈɫaɾ/.